“Bashan” Seminar to Be Held in France

The “Bashan in France” seminar will be held on Saturday, 19 September 2026, at the initiative of the American International Druze Public Affairs Council (AIDPAC) in the French city of Amilly. The event coincides with the first anniversary of the “Bashan Declaration of Independence” and will focus primarily on the situation of the Druze, the right to self-determination, the security and dignity of the people of Bashan, and the region’s future political outlook.

According to announcements and invitations issued by AIDPAC, the gathering will begin at 18:00 in Amilly, France. The organisers have described the event as part of an effort to bring the Bashan issue back to the international level and draw the attention of political and civil circles to the demands of the people of the region.

In its statement, AIDPAC stressed that the gathering is not merely an anniversary ceremony, but an opportunity to renew its commitment to the demands of the people of Bashan and the families of the victims of the violence of the past year. The organisation’s official announcement refers to reports of killings of Druze civilians, torture, sexual violence, attacks on children, and acts of violence against elderly people. It stresses the need to ensure security, dignity, justice and accountability, as well as the right of the people of Bashan to determine their own political future.

One of the political themes announced for the gathering is support for the right of the people of Bashan to self-determination and discussion of a free and independent future for them. AIDPAC’s announcements have also emphasised separation from “radical Islamist” rule and the establishment of a structure capable of guaranteeing the security and freedom of the people of the region. The organisers have likewise centred the event’s principal message on freedom, dignity and the right to self-determination.

According to the announced programme, several AIDPAC officials and figures will attend and speak at the seminar. They include Ayoob Kara, former Israeli minister and founder and Global President of AIDPAC; Dr. Waheed Azqoul, Chairman of AIDPAC in France; Bahaa Halawi, Chairman of AIDPAC in the Middle East; and Yahya Abou Assali, Chairman of AIDPAC in Germany.

The announcements concerning the event also refer to the role and position of Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri in pursuing the demands of the Druze of Suwayda.

Alongside its political component, the “Bashan in France” programme will also include cultural and social activities. According to the published programme, a welcome reception, cultural exhibition, opening ceremony, speeches by invited figures, a historical lecture, cultural performances, recognition of community activists, a traditional dinner, and a discussion session and political panel will be among the main parts of the gathering.

The Kurdistan Independence Party has also been invited to the seminar, and Ashtyako Pourkarim, Secretary-General of the Kurdistan Independence Party, is expected to participate in the event on behalf of the party.

During the gathering, the Secretary-General will present the Kurdistan Independence Party’s positions on the Kurdish and Kurdistan question, the right to self-determination, independence, and the need to expand cooperation between Kurds and Druze. One of the party’s areas of focus will be examining the possibilities for political and civil cooperation between the two peoples, based on mutual support for the right to self-determination, preservation of national identity, collective security, and opposition to policies of denial and centralisation.

The Kurdistan Independence Party maintains that, despite the historical, geographical and political differences between Kurds and Druze, the experiences of both communities in preserving their identity, defending their land and seeking the right to decide their own political future create grounds for dialogue and cooperation. Accordingly, the party delegation’s participation in the seminar is intended to establish more direct contacts with Druze figures and organisations and to examine the possibility of developing future cooperation.

Ashtyako Pourkarim is also expected to hold several political meetings and discussions with personalities, officials of organisations and activists attending the programme on the sidelines of the seminar. These meetings will focus on presenting the positions of the Kurdistan Independence Party, the question of Kurdistan’s independence, the Kurdish people’s right to self-determination, and the possibility of establishing frameworks for cooperation between Kurdish and Druze forces.

At the same time as the seminar, copies of “Kurdistan and Bashan”, written by Ashtyako Pourkarim, will also be distributed among a number of participants, political figures and guests at the event. The book examines the questions of Kurdistan and Bashan and a number of historical, political and legal aspects relating to the right to self-determination and the political future of stateless nations.

According to the published programme, the “Bashan in France” seminar will be held under the slogan “For a free and dignified future for our people”, while freedom, dignity, security and self-determination will form the common themes of the political, historical and discussion sections of the gathering.